SSV countertops are notorious for developing cracks, bubbles and separation issues. A homeowner might really think that they just have to live with it or to replace the entire kitchen full of countertops. After all, if you are going to replace the countertop that has the problem you would naturally have to replace the other countertops that may be in the kitchen or you would have a big difference in the color or patterns. From an asthetics point of view this would make your kitchen be way less attractive than the showplace that you had intended it to be.
It is possible to have your SSV countertop repaired but it does come with some strings attached. One thing is, finding a company that would actually do the work for you. Most countertop repair specialists will not touch SSV. Partly because they can’t get the material that is required to make the repair, and partly because they don’t have the correct techniques to actually make the repair. There are many similarities in doing a regular 1/2″ solid surface repair and doing an SSV repair, but the slight differences in the repair techniques are where expertise and experience play a major role.
Another issue that comes with SSV repair is dye lot match. In the ideal situation, the homeowner would have the sink cutout or cooktop cutout available to use for the repair. In this case, dye lot match would not be an issue. In a not so perfect scenario where your repair specialist has to make the repair without the homeowner providing dye lot match material, you can still have a good repair done but it may show up as a repair. In a dye lot match situation, you should not see your repair.
The last issue is this. While you can have it repaired, if you can find someone willing to do the work for you, no one will guarantee the work for any amount of time. The reason for this is because of the highly publicized problems that are so common with SSV. In other words, I could make a beautiful repair for you, but I just could not be confident that there would not be some type of failure simply due to the material. That being said, I have done dozens of SSV repairs over the last 7 or 8 years and have only had one call back for the same repair.
I have found that most SSV repair customers, once they are properly informed about what to realistically expect, are more likely to at least try one repair before they decide to rip their kitchen and bank account apart with a full kitchen countertop replacement. If the repair fails at some point or if they develop another issue in another part of the countertop, then they usually decide to either live with the problem or go ahead with the full replacement.
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